5 celebrity admirers of oriental rugs

While handmade oriental rugs are by no means items that one requires celebrity validation in order to proudly own, it is nonetheless intriguing to know more about the many famous owners of Persian and oriental rugs, including their purchasing and ownership experiences.

Some of the carpet-related stories of the below celebrated figures make for very interesting reading indeed.

Kanye West

The American rapper, songwriter and entrepreneur is surely one of the most famous fans of Persian rugs of recent times, not least on account of a much-shared tweet of his in 2010, in which he declared his frustration about being unable to find the right carpet for his requirements.

“I specifically ordered Persian rugs with cherub imagery!!!”, he complained, adding: “What do I have to do to get a simple Persian rug with cherub imagery uuuugh”.

Ursula Andress

The Swiss film and television actress ultimately deserves to be known as much more than the original Bond girl in 1962’s Dr. No – not least as an aficionado of handmade oriental rugs since she was young.

As Andress stated to Southeastern Antiquing and Collecting Magazine: “Collecting is my joy; it gives me great satisfaction. When I go to a country, I go to flea markets, antique stores. I am always looking for something.”

Sigmund Freud

Freud will always principally be ‘the founder of psychoanalysis’ rather than ‘the owner of one of the finest private collections of antique rugs in Europe’; however, that does not mean the latter aspect of his life should not be noted.

Indeed, the Viennese physician even went as far as having a Qashqai rug draped on the couch on which his patients rested as they revealed their secrets to him. Several other carpets were put on display in his study and library, and today, many of them can continue to be appreciated at the Freud Museum in London.

Ben Affleck

The Berkeley, California-born actor and filmmaker found himself in a quandary after purchasing a £1,600 antique rug at an Istanbul bazaar during the filming of Argo in 2012.

He brought the carpet home, only to be informed by wife Jennifer Garner that the area rug for their living room had already been ordered. He settled for using the rug as a bath mat, so it at least found a practical use, albeit one that most of us spending such an amount of money on a carpet would have possibly avoided.

Henry Kissinger

The former United States Secretary of State and winner of the 1973 Nobel Peace Prize has also been noted for his appreciation of the impeccable craftsmanship shown by many handmade oriental rugs.

His passion for antique carpets is documented in Walter Isaacson’s 2005 book, Kissinger: A Biography.